


You Flower You Feast

by violetlilacs



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: (I'm really sorry if you enjoy reading about side relationships though!), Action & Romance, Assassin Louis, Character Development though, Dom/sub Undertones, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Fem!Harry, Fem!Louis, Fluff, Gender or Sex Swap, Girl Direction, Harry is so sweet here, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Lack of Communication, Louis is so enamoured, Meeting the Parents, Misunderstandings, Past Relationship(s), Rimming, Semi-Public Sex, Sorry Not Sorry, Vaginal Sex, Violence, Zayn is like the hottest thing around and Liam is like really diplomatic and resposible, a bit of angst, a bit of spy-like content, and me too, but really just a bit bc I'm weak, feels out of character but I hope not too much, fem!larry, it's hard bc i don't want to make any spoiler, louis isn't really sarcastic or sassy here (it's weird, more like they have secrets!, the sex tags now, their relationship is mentioned a bit but there won't be any chapter dedicated to them, toy sex, whooho!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-16 17:31:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11257584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetlilacs/pseuds/violetlilacs
Summary: Louis, an assessin with a gold heart and too many personal problems, finds herself inevitably inflactuated at first sight with a woman she meets in one of her usual assignements, too good to be true.On the other hand, the young, just-graduated Harry Styles believed to be truly happy, conformist with living up to other people's expectations for her future until she meets an extraordinary person who changes everything.





	You Flower You Feast

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! So, this is the first work I will post in almost three years and I'm nervous!  
> It will have like 10 or 12 chapters and I will be updating every week and half! I'll try to be puntual, but I hope to have finished it at time. I really wanted to write something like this for forever but I don't know if you guys are interested in reading it but I really hope this gets positive reviews :)
> 
> Also! This is not edited by a beta but I'm looking for someone that maybe would like to help me out? You can contact me on my tumblr! (violetlilacs). English is not my first language and you're probably going to notice some grammar mistakes or unusual expression so sorry about that. Please feel free to point every mistake (if you want) and I will get everything fixed once I'm corrected. 
> 
> The title is from "Woman" by Harry Styles. I love this song with my all of my full, gay heart. (The characters are inspired a bit by this song!).
> 
> I hope you enjoy! And please feel free to send ideas or comments! 
> 
> \- Ari ♡.

_And how can I fight again_

_if there’s no more beauty in this world_

_since you left and I feel so alone?_

 

The window was broken and the moonlight came through around the cracks of the crystal, illuminating the warm pinked water of Louis’ bath. A few candles were randomly located in the soft blue tiles of the floor while the low music was being reproduced by the speakers of her phone.

Petals and other dry flowers wandered over the water, acquiring a white-metal like tone when they were near the window. Louis was content to watch them go and come to him, freely as their will. The bathroom door was just a crack open, in case her cat would need to come in, but, apart from that, she was enjoying her private time alone.

Louis leaned her head on the side of the bathtub, listening to a [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlf9e9PnJZM) Liam probably put on her playlist as a joke a few weeks ago but that Louis really grew fond of it with the time. She started to hum to it, playing with the bath salts at the same time she moved her hips rhythmically under the water.

After an hour of work, her body was completely waxed and smooth. Soon, the water turned cold and Louis, being too lazy to change the water or not suicidal enough to just lay there and die from hypothermia, walked out of the bathroom with a towel around her chest, heading to the kitchen while putting an old sweater and panties on.

She prepared her tea and watched cartoons until midnight, not wanting to go to bed in case some disturbing dreams would decide to chase her down again for the third time that week.  She still had a few days off to start a new case, though. Fair enough, Louis thought she could indulge herself with her sleeping schedule at least for this time.

Liam had already chosen a case for her. The folder in her kitchen table, bright white and a black sticker with a name printed on it. Her fingertips were aching to touch it, wanting to embark on a new adventure and missing the adrenaline of all it; but mostly, was the need of having something to focus on that moved Louis on new projects all the time.  

The documents were profiles of the subject and relatives of importance, as usual. Family, staff, security, partners. Then a single paper explaining the reason why her client, who would contact the company after singing a CA and accrediting reference only, wanted this person dead; document from which Louis would decide to take the job or not.

This seemed a different assignment, though, since sometimes her clients would contact her to just extract valuable information and then get their vengeance personally, too. She worked on a big field, anyway, having aptitude to do even both things if the person payed according and if she also was willing to do it.

A brief call to Liam earlier that morning clarified most of the aspects related to the operation.

It seemed as this person was a really big business man who absorbed a bunch of important companies in the last five years and made a great sum of money and, in the process, made a considering number of enemies as well. It was so redundant she was even familiarized with most of the technical terms of the man’s job, being that the cause of his promptly collapse. If she accepted, of course.

But from her experience, these types of man had security even under the bathroom’s carpet and their houses were like mini palaces made of crystal and steel. Louis sighed and left the folder back on the kitchen’s table, deciding that the decision needed eight hours of sleep first.

 

. . .

 

_“Babe, I think you are exaggerating. It was just a little bit of blood and… well, I really can’t explain the glitter but there must be a reason, okay?!”_

_“Are you serious?! How can you say that I’m exaggerating? And how the fuck did you…”_

Harry’s eyes went wide as the couple’s conversation began to be clearer to her ears, thinking she must have heard something wrong. Just like Harry, the two strangers were waiting to get their order at the cafe behind her, but God, did they need to be so loud in a Monday morning?

Her headphones weren’t potent enough to silence the noise around her but she gave it a try, since she needed that moment in peace until she had to deal with the day before her.

Niall called her that morning to confirm that their boss would be going on a last minute trip to New York on the evening and she needed to made the reservations as first thing when she’d got in the office. If she was efficient, maybe Harry could go back home not too late and finish the last errands to do for her own tiny trip to visit her family the next weekend.

As every morning, Harry enjoyed the brief walk to the coffee shop near her apartment before heading to her job. She moved only three months ago but she found her walks to become soon a part of her daily routine, being probably the most enjoyable thing about her mornings.

It’s not like she didn’t enjoy anything else, though. She truly loved what she did, working as an executive assistant for a big company until she would become an executive herself. And she loved her friend and collages, too, since some of them studied with her in college. She even tolerated her boss.

But all seemed to pale in comparison when she would have days like this one, waking up with the wrong foot, being late and having to wait in one of the least transitioned coffee shops on town.

She didn’t even had time to choose an outfit that morning or put make up on. Having so little time, Harry decided to just put on a clean white shirt and black skirt she found on the dryer, without checking for wrinkles. At least, her heels gave her the confidence enough to give a professional appearance to walk out of her apartment.

The office where she worked was on the thirty floor of a big building made of windows and steel mostly. The people there barely knew each other, even if they worked on the same floor and, most of the time, that was good with Harry, who loved her privacy as much as the next person.

She switched on the computer and left her jacket on the common wardrobe she shared with Niall, the other assistant, and her boss, Claire, before heading to the mini-kitchen to meet with Niall. Claire was late that morning, which let them some spare time to talk about their respective weekends and family.

They abruptly ceased their chat as the sound of the principal door closing came to them, thinking it would probably be their boss. Claire wasn’t technically The Miranda Presley 2.0 but she was intimating enough to keep the casual chats to a minimum when she was around.

For Harry and Niall’s shake, that wasn’t too much time a day.

“Hello, girls. Do I have any calls or new messages?” she asked, her fur coat landing over the green leather sofa next to the door. Harry frowned a bit at Claire’s clothes. She always seemed to wear clothes made with animal products of some kind.

The both shocked their head in unison. “No, ma’am.”

Harry removed the coat and put it next to her own jacket in the wardrobe while Niall run to Claire’s office after her. She was already giving orders and instructions for them to take care for the day. She wanted to be notified when Harry finished the details for her trip and explained she wanted her most urgent meetings to be via skype while she was there.

Before she’s dismissed them, Claire made a sound, as if she remembered something and told them to wait. “Oh, before I go, I need you to do something more. Mr. Harris is going to send a messenger here to recollect some documents at some moment during the day. They’re of vital importance,” she added, making sure get full attention of both her employees before speaking again, “You will be responsible if anything happens to them, understood?”

Again, Niall and Harry nodded at the same time as if they were the same person. Harry couldn’t help but think they seemed to be trained dogs of hell for their personal Hades. A tiny smirk formed on her lips as she kept her manners intact.

“Perfect. I will leave them on my desk’s drawer. Here’s the key.” Harry took a step closer to take the key and keep it safe on her skirt pocket. She was fast to go back to her seat and make those arrangements for her boss’ trip, wanting to be finished as soon as possible, to be good to leave for the day.

 

. . .

 

“Tomlinson, can you get your head out of your ass and maybe hit a little harder?”

Louis jumped over her feet, her fist near her face as she calculated her opponent’s steps ahead. She needed to be faster, not only with her feet but with her mind. Her trainer seemed tired of evading her punches though, but he was managing well enough to tire Louis too.

They changed positions again. Louis held her gloves up to her face as a barrier when a hard punch was directed to her. She evaded the next two and knelt once before jumping and positioning herself behind Marc. When he turned around, Louis blew her fist up to his chin, nearly knocking him out.

A few claps that came somewhere near them stopped her in her tracks before she could really top off the round.

Liam was there, wearing a leather jacket and her sunglasses. It would be a lot stranger, since they were indoors, if this situation was new for all of them. But traditions remained, as expected. Liam smiled at them as she put her glasses artistically on her head, pushing aside her hair out of her face.

Louis took of the purple silicone teeth protector and proceeded to do the same with her gloves. The red paint was chipping out for the constant use, louis noticed not for the first time. She only hoped she wouldn’t need to replace them too soon.

“What do you want, Liam?” she said, swallowing saliva as graciously as she could. Her shirt was tangled in a nod on the floor, forgotten since the beginning of their training. Now she only had a sport bra and short pants on.

Liam gave her a once over, her glance disdain but her mouth quirked in a tiny amused smile. “Did you forget you have work to do, Louis?”

“No,” she said as matter of fact, as if someone would deny that Louis Tomlinson didn’t take her work seriously, really. “I remember where I need to go. I’m not late, right?”

“No, you are not,” Liam was examining Marc’s legs or butt, Louis didn’t know nor wanted to, either, while she started collect her things. “I just wanted to make sure you would be there on time.”

“Uh huh,” Louis finished packing her stuff just in time to turn around and see her tattooed 280 lbs. trainer blushing like a child while Liam waved at him. She groaned a bit loudly than normal. “Well, since you’re here, would you give me a ride?”

Liam nodded and headed to the front door, not before winking sweetly at Marc and waving him off. “Okay, let’s go.”

Louis sighed as deeply as her bruised ribs would let her. She rolled her eyes at Liam’s back but she picked up her sport bag, nonetheless, before saying goodbye to her trainer, too.

They planned it all so meticulously Louis thought she could do it in her sleep. But Liam wanted to get in the building in a fast an efficient way, without no one noticing her and without doing damage control if possible.

As usual, then.

Louis couldn’t help the little smirk forming on her lips. She changed on more formal clothes and put her glasses on, just to add and intellectual detail to the outfit. Liam said it resembled a porno but Louis thought it was good.

The hall had the same design as the blueprints Liam brought to her apartment. A front marble desk corned by two security guards and a digital control with magnetic cards to access to the lifts.

Louis man of the day was John Harris, the owner of the Harris and Ernst S.A. The company was ironically competent on security work. And it was about to be stole from the same people they were trying to get rid of.

Ah, Louis loved the coincidences on live.

The trip to the lift was easy, the magnet card being provided by Liam after digging in the databases just this morning. After that, they only needed make up a character for Louis, the messenger sent by Harris himself, and the end is story once she’s out of the office with the documents on her hands.

Easier than stealing from a child. But in an unscrupulous way and with more technology and resources.

Louis re-adjusted her glasses and walked out of the lift. The floor she was headed on was an attic with two doors. One of them were made of crystal where she only could distinguish two desks one in front of the other but without no one there to receive her.

Well, that’s an inconvenient. She could steal the archive by herself, sure, but she didn’t know where that woman could have it. And she didn’t do all that undercover work (or rather Liam) to be fruitless, seriously.

But, before she could plan her next step, a door was being open –the door Louis didn’t have time to even reconsider –and a woman was entering the hall.

She didn’t notice Louis yet, but Louis sure did notice her. She was reading something on her phone while chewing a muesli bar and humming to herself. When louis learned that a Storm could pass and this stranger wouldn’t even notice, Louis decided to act upon it.

She cleared her throat and the woman jumped a bit, surprised by her presence. To her surprise, Louis felt a bit bad for her, and tried to smile as politely as she could.

“Hello.”

The woman blinked at her with green eyes. Her hair was a calculated mess around her face, hold by pins even though some strands would resist. “Hi,” she said almost inaudible, blinking again before smiling shyly and taking a step towards Louis. She repeated again, more confident. “Hi.”

Louis took another step and smiled, making the woman’s smile grew wider, becoming a content grin. “I’m Louis. The messenger for Mr. Harris? I’m here to collect some documents.”

“Oh,” Harry face lighted up with recognition and nodded. “Sure, this way.”

They passed the crystal door and walked into an office with two desks. One was extremely organized while the other had papers, staplers and even banana peels all over the table. She focused on the organized one, opting that one for the woman beside her, and saw some photographs around, a plant on the corner and a half eaten green smoothie.

“Sorry for the mess. Niall works better with all scattered around. I don’t know.”

She smiles a bit, nodding at her. “Don’t worry… uh…”

“Oh!” her cheeks turned light pink, her eyes widening with alarm, “I’m sorry, I forget to present myself. I’m Harry,” she said, taking Louis’ hand and shaking it enthusiastically but careful not to hurt her.

Louis nodded again, worried she was letting herself go a bit too much with Harry here while she needed to get the documents and get out of here as soon as possible.

At Louis blank stare, Harry shocked her head and stopped before talking again. “Um, right. I will show you where Claire left them, just let me...”

Louis watched Harry rummage in her pocket before extracting a key and smiling victoriously before heading to another closed door. This one headed to a more spacious office with a wall that was all windows and with at least two sofas and three lamps.

Louis followed Harry and watched her bend over the desk before opening the first drawer with the key and extracting a folder of it. “Here you go.”

Louis exanimated the folder, reading the names Harris and Claire W. Knightly next to a message directed to the last one, asking her to be as discreet as possible with the information, not digitalizing it to evade more difficulties before they would have discussed it.

Louis nodded and put it on her purse. She turned to find Harry looking down at her legs before taking her gaze up to Louis’ face quickly, the image of pure innocence but with a tentative smile of her mouth.

Louis walked closer to Harry’s personal space, making her obviously nervous and smiled almost deprecatingly. Although Louis calculated that Harry may be two inches taller than Louis, they were on the same level thanks to Louis’ extremely tall boots, which gave her a sense of power she would taste as if it was honey.

“Well, I think I have everything I need,” she said, extending the process really, just because she didn’t want to left just yet and Harry was all to mesmerized to speak herself. Louis wasn’t a cruel person; she didn’t enjoy other people’s suffering, but she really wanted this Harry person squirm a bit.

 “O-okay.”

They walked together to the lifts and Louis leaned over the marble wall while they waited for it to come. Harry was still out of place, alternating her weight on one foot and then to the other one, playing with numerous rings on her fingers while maintaining the eye contact between them.

“Um, Louis, do you think that…” Harry started to talk, trying to sound casual, as she leaned one arm on the wall next to louis just the same time when the lift opened, making her to lose her equilibrium and almost falling to the floor if it wasn’t for Louis. 

Before Harry could fall, Louis gripped her with two hands, holding her steady with one hand over her arm and another around her right hip. She was soft and delicate, her skin warm since Louis could touch it because the shirt would slip over a bit.

They watched each other’s eyes, lost in time just that moment, while Louis was still holding her in place. They were so near Louis could count the blue mots in Harry’s green eyes. Harry breathed heavily and her eyes were slightly lidded, her tongue touching her front teeth without thinking about it.

Louis was about to say something when their moment was broken by a blonde girl holding two bananas and a phone in her hands, appearing suddenly in front of them. “Haz, are you sure you want to eat another… Oh.”

Without retiring her gaze, Louis saw how Harry closed her eyes rigidly, as if she was trying to deal with embarrassment or murdering tendencies or all of it at the same time. Louis wasn’t sure about her, but she was having problems with the second situation, at least.

“Don’t worry, I was just leaving” she said, leaving Harry after making sure she was steady on her own feet. She entered the elevator which the other girl just exited out before looking at Harry and waving her goodbye. Before she could control herself, she turned around and said: “I will see you soon, yeah?”

Harry nodded, confused, but waved at Louis with big, dreamily eyes. “Bye, Louis.”

 

**. . .**

Harry was wearing an old t-shirt and panties; her hair was in a bun on the top of her head, the grip was almost loose on her back, and the TV was on some news channel and set on mute, while Spotify was playing only the [greatest of the 80’s rock](https://open.spotify.com/user/digster.fm/playlist/2peJPuYDQJMsmEpjqMALnl) in her kitchen.

She had everything she needed on the dark brown table made of wood her mother gave her for Christmas last year. All recipients were placed in order of use and she just set on the oven two minutes ago.

Harry loved to bake. Used to be a baker when she was on high school and her family always praised most of her creations. Mostly because they were her family, but still. She wanted to think she was good enough to open a bakery one day for herself, if she wanted to, which was her plan B all along.

But, until that day, she was perfectly content with her actual life; her job and her friends were just as she thought they would be when she started UNI, and her family was very supportive, as always. She really felt lucky.

The microwave’s ring adverted Harry just in time for her to put out the melted chocolate. She started to mix the dry ingredients and then the wet ones to make the base for the sponge cake. The idea was to do chocolate, carrots and icing on top. She found it on one of her grandmother’s recipe books and it looked good and easy enough to try it.

It was useless to change everything now, though, so she hoped for the best.

Harry was invited, among Niall and other colleagues of them, to a glamour’s dinner in Claire’s apartment tomorrow night. And Harry was baking a cake for the dinner so she wouldn’t have to waste hundreds of dollars on a wine bottle nobody would drink just like last year.

The dinner was supposed to be friendly and private, but there will be also be servers from a catering company and an article will be published the next day about the event, no doubt. So Harry will make her best to be professional and polite, since she almost felt obliged to attend.

Just when Harry finished the base and opened the oven, her best friend sat down comically in front of her and growled lowly from her throat. Zayn’s hair was a mess, doing crazy shapes around her head, but she looked good and rested after her three hours’ nap.

“Hello to you too.”

Zayn made a funny mocking smile and rolled her eyes. She had nice hazel eyes and dark skin, which was one of the various reason she worked for a brand name model agency at the moment.

Zayn wasn’t vain, she explained one day, she wasn’t a model for the fame or the attention. Mostly, she just enjoyed the flexible hours of her job’s and free alcohol at inaugurations parties. And the girls, of course.

“Would you believe me,” Zayn asked, cracking loudly her neck to one side and the other, drowning a yawn, “if I told you I’m in love?”

Harry laughed in a good mood, cleaning the rest of flour in the table and setting the products aside to sit next to her friend. “Oh, Zayn, finally. I just thought you would never catch up!”

Zayn pulled two beautiful trimmed eyebrows together, seeming barely annoyed. “Ha ha. I’m serious, though. She’s perfect. I met her on a café.”

“Wow, like in the movies,” she smiled, endeared by her friend’s behavior; although she was having fun, Harry decided to stop teasing her before Zayn really got upset. “And how is she?”

“She is…” Zayn shocked her head, her black hair going everywhere with the movement. “Absolutely perfect. She’s insane! And so hot…”

“Hmm, and are you planning in meeting her again soon?” Harry asked, watching the oven to make sure the cake was doing well. The icing was ready on the fridge. She could let the cake cool for the night and star decorating it tomorrow morning.

Zayn nodded enthusiastically, standing up of her chair before doing her hair on a ponytail. “Yeah, today. And you will come with us, too.”

Harry snorted, making an incredulous face. “What?”

Zayn sighed, a bit embarrassed. “I might say to her that I was planning to go to the same pub tonight she was going with my best friend and that we would meet up there?”

Harry looked incredulously at her friend. “What pub?”

Zayn shrugged, trying to apparent indifference. “I don’t know. I will look it up on google maps. It doesn’t matter, really.”

“Right, it doesn’t,” Harry nodded, absolutely mocking her friend. She was starting to see the signs of those intense crushes that would made Zayn do crazy things like doing surf to coincide with a stranger or suddenly finding a passion for climbing mountains.

“Well, I think it’s a good idea. We don’t go out anymore!”

“We literally live together and we went to the supermarket together just yesterday,” she said, trying to sound indignant but Zayn was right. They barely went out the last months and a night out could do good to both of them. And if Zayn was excited with this, Harry would support her friend.

Yay for friendship.

“Oh, come on, Haz.”

“Okay,” she gave up, switching off the kitchen’s lights before going to her room. She only could hope for her cake to be alright until tomorrow, “we’ll go out tonight.”

“You’re the best!” Zayn hugged her and accompanied her to choose the outfits for the night.

 

. . .

 

“Okay, okay. Just one more, right?” Liam waited for louis to loudly show her discomfort before she’d nod, anyway. “What do you call a fake noodle?”

Louis shrugged one shoulder, readjusting her shirt, unimpressed. “What?”

“An impasta!”

Louis snorted and rolled her eyes, smiling a bit more now at her friend. “And that’s how you pretend to impress the girl? Reading jokes from your phone to her?”

“Hey!” Liam sounded offended. “I’m not reading them. I have memorized them.”

“Of course you would do that.”

Louis sighed dramatically and took another sip of her pint.

They were seated on two tall blue-glittered stools, waiting for said girl and her friend. Liam was surprisingly excited to see again this stranger who she met that morning after taking Louis to Harris and Ernst S.A..

They planned to go out tonight to relieve some stress, but mostly it was just an excuse for Liam and Louis – but typically just Louis – to drink their weight on alcohol and thus really disconnect from work.

But, since Liam meet this girl, the plans were lightly changed, as Liam wanted to put it. Louis was okay with it, really, she didn’t mind having two new faces around to party with, and she really was happy for her friend, but… she couldn’t help the small shiver of jealousy going through her spine, since she also met a fantastic dreamlike girl she probably wouldn’t meet never again.

Louis looked around, the lights of the city were displayed just for them through the window, as the cars passed away and the clubs came alive around them. The vibrant random colors illuminated the place just like the nightlights from inside the club, but in a more authentic way, because they moved with the people. If it made sense.

Louis finished the beer, wishing she had asked for something stronger and tried not to look too sad at the retrospective possibility to an alternative universe where she and Harry would meet again. It was just impossible and a dumb wish anyway.

“Liam!” a voice came from behind them, seeming just as excited to see her friend as well. When Louis turned around, she saw her friend hugging the stranger girl and smiling happily.

“Zayn, I’m glad you could make it.”

Louis looked for the mysterious friend but saw no one. Just when she was going to stand up to be polite and salute this Zayn person, she found a woman in front of her, looking just like the recantation of a newborn deer with enormous emerald eyes.

It just took one second to process the information for Louis to understand that it was Harry –the same Harry she met just today – who was in front of her, appearing surprisingly calm while she watched Louis attentively.

Louis’ hand was shaking when she held it up for Harry, but none of them would point it up, which was beyond perfect for Louis’ ego, thank you very much. “Hi again.”

Harry grinned, shaking Louis hand and not really letting it go after that for a while. “So, you are Liam’s best friend?” she asked, thumbing one of Louis’ knuckles, carefully to not be too abrasive with her attention.

Louis didn’t mind. She was enjoying it more than she should, actually, but nobody would never know that, so why would she worry about it, seriously.

“Yeah, I… Um, and you must be Zayn’s mysterious friend, then. It’s nice to see you.” It was more than nice, actually. It was all Louis was asking for the entire night, and her live couldn’t be more perfect.

It just was fate. Or luck. Or some shit. But louis was really glad she was in front of this girl again, having a new opportunity to… she didn’t know, exactly, for what, but oh, man, she would do the best out of it, for sure.

“Would you want something to drink?” she offered, while pointing her seat for Harry to sit on. Harry obeyed silently and left her purse on the table with the empty glasses.

“That’d be amazing, thank you.”

Louis nodded, making sure Harry was comfortable before heading to the bar to ask for their drinks. Liam followed after her and asked for two pints and two tequila shots.

Louis raised her brows at the shots and waited for Liam to explain. When she didn’t and just handled her one of them when the bartender brought them along with the new pints, Louis took it grateful.

“Zayn seems wonderful.”

Liam nodded, a gleeful grin on her face. “Yeah. Harry is the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, though. Not your usually type.”

Louis nodded, thinking how she would stand out in the crow with her curly hair wrapped in a headband and part of her chest at display with most of the shirt’s bottoms undone. She was attractive, but the kindness in her eyes was what put Louis off sometimes. As Liam pointed out, not the kind who Louis would have choose in the past.

“Yeah. I know.”

When Louis got closer, Harry’s attention came back to her. Her eyes where bright as two suns about to explode. And even though Louis know she could get burnt, she just returned the smile, feeling like Icarus just too close to the sun to notice her wings in flames just yet.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you,” Harry took the glass with two hand, careful to not spill nothing on the floor, and smiled back at Louis. “So, how was work? Did you get the files at time?”

Louis cleared her throat, all of a sudden uncomfortable under Harry’s attention. She nodded and smiled tightly at her, remembering how she would email all the information to her client just before they would come here tonight, her bank account with a few ceros more now.

She finished her assignment, which was great, and that’s what she told to her, but, since she didn’t want to lie to Harry about her job, she wouldn’t elaborate anymore beyond that. “I did, yeah. I just think I’d prefer to talk about different topics right now, though.”

“Like what?”

“Like you,” Louis’ answer got the reaction she’d expected; Harry blushed a bit, her cheeks tinted in soft pink while her eyelashes shuttered at Louis, while she asked:

“What would you want to know?”

Louis gave Harry a once over, traveling Harry’s curves in awe, getting her even more nervous. “I would say everything,” she said, bending over her to whisper at her ear, enjoying the adrenaline and excitement going through her body with devastating force under Harry’s gaze, “but I think that’d be too cheesy, even more me.”

Harry looked at her, determination in her eyes and a brow quirked with curiosity and maybe a bit of arousal, too. “I want to dance,” she said, placing her arms around Louis neck and bringing her closer to her body. “Take me to the dance floor, Louis, please,” the imploration obvious in her voice.

Louis nodded, leaving her half full bear on the table and checking on Liam before taking Harry by the wrist and leading the way. Harry obliged, happy to let Louis be in charge of the decision as she merely followed after her.

The room was dark, with a big stage in the front and two smaller ones on the sides with stripers dancing on it. Louis didn’t pay any mind to them, although she considered the thought of a strip-tease to be a really cool thing to try at some point with Harry. But, for now, she enjoyed having Harry as close as possible against her body, both moving along the music and her eyes not separating from each other in any moment.

People danced around them, making them get closer and closer. With Harry’s arms around her neck and Louis’ hand with a strong grip on her hips, they moved slowly, then faster, and the gently again.

“Hey.” Harry looked up at Louis, a tentative smile in her face, as if she was feeling unease. Louis’ grip tightened a bit, trying to be comforting. She seemed to succeed.

“Hi there.” 

When Harry didn’t say anything more and kept dancing, content to stay quiet, Louis relaxed and focused on the breaths she needed to take in order to not choke and die. Louis tried to enjoy the silence, watching the light moves around with them, following the pattern of movement perfectly and setting her heartbeat to a quiet pace, Harry’s sweet perfume invading her personal space.

It was the more content she felt in a while.

 “ _Harry!?_ ”

A distant voice come somewhere near them, distracting Louis for a moment. Suddenly, Harry tensed in Louis’ arms, her hands suddenly losing their grip on Louis’ neck before she could think what she was doing. When Louis could process what was even happening, a girl about the same age as them, hugged Harry feverously, with her back to Louis.

“Gemma… what are you doing here?” she asked, watching Louis with pleading and apologetic eyes. “My sister,” she mouthed over Gemma’s shoulder.

Louis nodded and saw how the stranger lighted at Harry’s question, setting one arm around her shoulders and taking her even more far away from Louis. “I just was here visiting a friend. I was going to call you on the morning, actually. I didn’t expect you to find you here, though!”

Louis watched helpless as the two of them kept talking, Harry still glazing with what could be uneasiness at Louis. When Louis got Harry’s attention in the meantime Gemma was explaining her travel route and whatnot, she pointed to the bar so Harry could go there to meet Louis when she would be done.

The club was congested with people dancing or talking in small groups. In the bar were three bartenders, all of them extremely busy so Louis had to wait several minutes to be served. She asked for two drinks, just in case Harry would want one, too. Or in the contrary situation when she couldn’t come back, and Louis would need to drown her suffering in alcohol.

It was a joke. She wasn’t going to do such and extremely irresponsible thing… _Or was she?_

Liam approached a few seconds after Louis would get her drinks in front of her. She handled one of them to her but she denied it. “No, I’m driving tonight. Zayn is going to come with me, too. I wanted to know if everything was okay before I go, though?” she said, observing with concern how Louis was alone in the bar by herself.

“Harry bumped into her sister. I’m waiting for her.”

“Oh,” Liam nodded, her brow pulling together while he viewed the crew of people. “I thought you said sister. She’s talking with a guy now.”

“What?” Louis looked in the same direction Liam was and found, indeed, Harry and a guy talking hurriedly. Harry was gesticulating and frowning but the guy seemed unaffected at Harry’s apparent discomfort. “I’m going to see if she needs… help,” Louis said, cringing at how weird that sounded out loud.

Before she went, Louis waved at Liam and smiled encouragingly at her friend. “You have a good night with Zayn. Good luck,” she said, giving her a thumbs up and getting by through the people with effort until she’d get to Harry again.

Before she would be spotted, Louis could hear a bit of the conversation. _“… I’m serious, I don’t want to talk right now, okay? I have someone waiting and…_ ”; _“… come on, baby… won’t last long…_ ”

Louis taped the stranger’s shoulder and gave him the most fake smile of the world of Fake Smiles, just because she knew violence wasn’t the best way to win anyone’s heart, and she didn’t pretend to scare Harry just a few hours after knowing each other, either. “I think you need to back off, mate.”

The man frowned, confused, and his mouth forming a small ‘O’, but before he could act upon it, Louis was already separating him from Harry, asking with her eyes before she’d take Harry’s wrist and get her to one of the darkest corners of the club, looking for privacy as a priority at the moment.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her hands merely touching Harry’s face but still providing some warmth, trying to calm Harry down but not wanting to overwhelm her anymore in the process. Harry leaned in the touch, her features relaxing almost instantly.

And Louis’ heart didn’t skip a beat at that. _Nope_. Because Louis was a machine without feelings, imperturbable to cute girls. Surely, it must be the fact that they were too close to the speakers, where the music was the loudest and your heart started to do funny things in your chest.

“I am now. Thank you,” she gave Louis one of the most precious smiles she had ever seen, wrapping Louis’ hands in hers in Harry’s face, and her eyes wrinkled a little around the corners. Louis tried not to swallow too hard at such a sight. “Gemma had to leave and when I tried to go back to you, this guy appeared out of nowhere. I’m sorry if I made you worry.”

“You don’t need to apology, Harry,” she encouraged, letting her hands go off Harry’s face. She tried to think what to say next but Harry’s expression distracted Louis for a bit.

Of course she would find Harry’s pout at the loss of Louis’ touch just as charming as the rest of her personality. Because that’s what she did. Self-harm was her hobby number one.

“I… um.”

Harry noticed Louis’ abruptly change of behavior and pulled her eyebrows together, getting closer to her. “Are you okay?” she took one strand of Louis’ hair with absolute delicacy, her fingers moving gracefully while her eyes wandered slowly over Louis’ face.

The moment felt so intimated Louis thought she would burst just for the heat alone. But she couldn’t look away, was the thing. In fact, Louis would prefer to have one of her limbs amputated than to miss this moment.

It felt just right to be near Harry again. Having her in Louis’ arms. Like she could cure her illness and disgraces. Like a proper angel guardian, really. _Oh, Jesus_. Louis shocked her head imperceptibly, in an attempt to get to focus again. Clearly she had too much alcohol on her body.

 _Yes, that’s what it had to be,_ Louis concluded. The alcohol mixed with adrenaline and lack of sleep were speaking for her. Those things were always a dangerous combination.

She opened her mouth, ready to say just that to Harry and to finish this… whatever it was happening between them right now, once and for all. But when she was doing to do that, the words that came out were completely different:

“I’m… I’m okay, yeah,” she took a step backwards, looking for an exit because she’d understand if Harry said she wanted to leave the place immediately. “Do you want another drink? Or maybe need a ride home?”

Harry’s mouth quirked, her hand merely touching Louis’ hip as if she wanted to grip her and get Louis closer to her body. Louis’ body pulsed with energy under her touch. “M- maybe we could go for a walk? If you’re okay with it?”

They ended up in Harry’s place, after hours –but maybe just one or two – of walking and talking nonsense. They discussed books, holidays, hobbies, jobs… Louis’ job was a touchy subject and Harry learned that within a second in the conversation and quickly let it go.

They were in Harry’s kitchen right now, after their little adventure together under the city’s lights and strangers’ faces. Louis felt relaxed, seated in Harry’s table while she watched carefully how she prepared two mugs of tea. She was moving so sensually under the faint lights of her kitchen, provoking Louis with every movement on her back or hips.

Harry was humming to a really catchy song Louis was sure she’d heard in the radio last week, while cleaning everything after her. She had the tea bags in the hot water and the milk near waiting for them.

Louis’ legs opened just centimeters when Harry got closer to her but it was blunt enough to make the invitation clear. Harry’ little smirk was glorious while she placed herself between Louis’ tights, her arms useless at both her sides.

“Well,” she beamed even further, “this is interesting.”

Louis raised an eyebrow, leaning her head to one side, curious at Harry’s words. “How so?” She knew how peculiar this situation was, but she’d hoped it was in a good way at least. Louis felt insecure too, in a new environment and all, but she was really enjoying her time with Harry.

“I had never invited anyone here before, after meeting them just once, you know? It’s a bit weird for me.”

“Do you want me to… um, I can leave, Harry. It’s no problem.”

Harry laughed, but it ended up sounding more like giggles though. Her eyes felt like two lighthouses for Louis, a sailor lost in the sea, fighting to survive, to come back to land. The thought alone should be enough to make Louis run in the opposite direction.

But she didn’t, _because she was sadomasochistic._

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to say it like that,” she smiled more naturally now. “I really don’t want you to leave. The situation is new to me, it’s all, but I’m not uncomfortable with you here. I like it actually.”

“Oh.”

Harry touched Louis’ face, looking up at her eyes, looking for something Louis couldn’t understand at the beginning but when she’d finally catch on with the implications, Louis nodded and Harry leaned over her. Louis legs were around Harry’s waist and Harry’s hand were everywhere on Louis.

Louis watched Harry climb on her, their bodies warm moving together. Harry’s lips were on her neck, brushing little pecks there and here. “I want to kiss you everywhere, Louis.”

Louis nodded, really enthusiastic with the idea. She heard giggles under her and when she looked down, it was to found a beautiful Harry smiling at her. She pecked Louis’ lips once, twice and when she was going to do it for the third time, Louis couldn’t control herself and made them turn around over the table, with Harry under her body now, succumbing at Louis hold.

Louis watched with veneration how the shadows played on Harry’s skin with Louis covering her, making her look like a creature out of this world. Louis leaned on and kissed Harry for a long moment, until she’d run out of breath and had to draw aside.

“God, you’re such a tease.”

Harry laughed and moved over Louis, a tentative move of her hips tempting Louis to tight her grip over Harry perfect, firm muscles. “It was only a kiss though. I’ll need more time to even be finished, Louis.”

 

. . .

 

Louis woke up to the smell of bacon and the news on mute while [music](https://open.spotify.com/user/arr1998/playlist/5notLzisbd1KJQjlzgZsb8) was playing through the speakers. Harry was dancing with a spatula on her hand, her long curls moving along with her.

Her phone biped with a message, making her to check her calls just in case.

It was Liam, as she had guessed at first, but her urgent tone in the voicemail motivation enough to become alert, the message not so clear as she hurried to the bedroom again, looking for her clothes. But when Louis found them, to her surprise, neatly folded on a chair next to the bed, she smiled a bit.

Louis touched the material, merely bringing back some details of the night before when her phone come back to live again, Liam’s name on the screen angrily beeping at her. She sighed and answered the call. “Liam.”

“ _Louis_ ,” her friend’s voice hissed in return. “We have a problem.”

Louis nerves started to pick. Her grab on the phone become tighter as she started to look for her shoes. _And where the fuck was her underwear?_ “What do you mean?”

“Your sister was here. She wanted to talk… I think she’s heading to your apartment now, I don’t know, she wouldn’t talk to me.”

“Lottie came to your place?” she asked, dressing up as fast as she could manage.

Liam sighed, frustrated. “Yeah. Scared the shit out of Zayn, in the process too, by the way. I’m taking her to her place now; I will pick you up there, okay? I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Louis hung up, blocking the phone and tossing it in the bed next to her. She put her face into her hands, trying to think what to do. _Lottie_. She and her sister weren’t the closest right now and Louis couldn’t even start to speculate what would be happening with her.

Anxiety flew under her body like water in flames. The only thing Louis was certain was that she needed to come first to her apartment before her sister would demolish it again with a fire extinguisher like last time she was there.

When she came back to the kitchen, Harry had settled the table for two people, singing along to a new song while she looked for something in a cabinet, the breakfast already plated next to her.

Louis cleared her throat, pulling her brows together while she tried to come up with something credible to say to her. She wanted to say all the truth she was capable of, still not lying to Harry while doing that, protecting her little sister and not compromising her job in the process.  

“Harry?”

Harry looked at her, the worry in her eyes evident when she took in Louis’ paralyzed body and sweaty hands. She clearly was nervous, frenetic for her sister, but anxious too to not mess up nothing between them either. A lot of feelings were accumulating and maybe it was too much even for Louis, who was a professional for Not Having Those, really.

“Harry…”

“Louis? Is something wrong?” Harry was wearing an old sweater and the too large sleeves hided her hands when she touched Louis’ face delicately, trying to ease the preoccupation in her eyes. Louis tried to smile as cheerfully as she could manage.

“Yes. Well, no,” Louis shocked her head, taking Harry’s hand away from her but squeezing it to give Harry some comfort before letting her go. “I mean… I have a familiar thing to take care of, right now, and… I know this is just the worst time possible but I really need to go and I’m sorry that it’s all of sudden. I really had a great time with you and I don’t want you to feel used or something.”

Harry nodded, listening Louis’ words with a sympathetic look. She brushed off some strand of hair out of Louis’ face before placing a quick peck of her lips on Louis’ cheek. “I understand, Louis. You don’t have to explain yourself, really.”

Louis nodded too, relieved they have had solved it so quickly. “Thank you for being so comprehensive.”

Harry laughed and offered Louis a warm cup of coffee. “I added some milk, too. When will be you leaving?”

“Liam will pick me up in a little while.”

Harry nodded, sipping her own warm drink and sitting on the kitchen’s table in front of Louis, not taking her eyes off her. Louis watched her, inevitably remembering their cast kiss on that same table the night before. And the next ones that followed the first.

Well, shit. Louis’s brow pulled together, in confusion. But before she could even star overthinking everything that happened last night, part of Harry’s sweater let some skin to appear with her readjustment, Louis couldn’t but notice she was wearing some transparent lace-y underwear.

“I want to see you again,” she said instead, surprising both of them at the unexpected words. She waited for Harry’s reaction for never-ending seconds that felt like hours, before she’d got a proper smile out of her.

Harry sipped again from her mug, her eyes blinking so softly with black eyelashes and remains of some black shadow from her last night’s make up that she would have removed earlier when Louis was probably still asleep. “I would like that,” she mumbled, looking shy out of all things so unexpectedly. “I want to see you again, too. Yeah.”

Louis nodded, leaving her cup before getting closer to Harry, feeling confident in her standing position where Harry needed to look up in order to find Louis’ eyes. “I’m glad,” she said, really meaning it. “We could discuss the time for the date later, maybe?”

“it’s a plan,” Harry left her arms to rest over Louis shoulders, her smile easy and her eyes bright with anticipation. Louis got even closer, her hands nearing to dangerous zones because of Harry’s pulling until she finally could feel Harry’s skin under her hands.

“You feel so good; it’s ridiculous how soft you are.”

Harry’s laugh rumbled near Louis’s ear, her forehead pressed on her shoulder and her smile evident even through Louis’ clothes. Her breath catching on her throat when Louis hand hovered over the underwear and pulled it just with ideal force. “This is nice.”

A buzz ringed abruptly then, startling them both. Louis picked up her phone, watching Liam’s name appearing on her screen along with a really funny and embarrassing picture of her hugging Peter Pan in an improvised trip to Disney a few years ago.

Louis replied the call, her eyes still locked with Harry’s, but their bodies not that close anymore. She sighed as she diverted her gaze to the floor. “Liam?”

“Yeah, I’m here already if you want to come down. Your sister is… eager to see you.”

Louis nodded to no-one, her eyes closed as she dragged her hand over her face, feeling a bit overwhelmed all of sudden. “Okay, I’ll be there soon.”

The call ended and she found herself with Harry, who sipped her tea absently while looking through the foggy window, like she was trying to give her some privacy. When their eyes locked, she couldn’t help the smile slipping through her lips, even though it was a sad one.

“I need to go now.”

Harry looked at her, her gaze intense and so penetrating that it took Louis' breath away for a solid second. Getting closer to her, she merely touched Louis' cheekbone before retracting her hand and taking a step back. Louis missed the contact almost inmediately.

"I will see you soon, yeah?"


End file.
